HellRaising: A Pirate Children story
by A. Windsor
Summary: I just wish you would’ve killed the old bastard.” – Inara, War Stories. Eighteen years later, so does Mal. Set in the same 'verse as Pirate Children, but three years later. This one is darker than the first.
1. Part 1

Title: Hell Raising

Rating: PG-13 for mild torture and violence

Pairings: heavy on the M/I, by the nature of the 'verse, references to S/K, Z/W, Jayne/Vera

Setting: 18ish years post-BDM

Summary: "I just wish you would've killed the old bastard." – Inara, War Stories. Eighteen years later, so does Mal. Set in the same 'verse as Pirate Children, but three years later.

Author's Note: This one is darker than the first, but since in my heart I write fluff and family drama, it's probably fairly light compared to most "dark fics". Thank you to everyone who read Pirate Children. Anyone who wants to read this one and not the first should know, first that Wash is still alive but Book didn't survive the BDM. Also, they should know the new characters:

Killian Cobb "Kacey" Washburn

Leila Lee "Lolly" Tam

Abram Derrial "Bubba" Reynolds

Serra Alleyne "Mei-Mei" Reynolds

and their tutor, Alistair "Ally" Caramia, who's been aboard since Serra was born.

Part 1

"Hey-hey! Amnon!"

The postmaster looks up to see two fairly familiar faces, a tiny young girl and her teenaged brother, walking side-by-side, close enough to touch, heads bent conspiratorially.

"Well, if it isn't the Reynolds children, Trouble and More Trouble."

"Now, which of us do you think is More Trouble, Amnon? I know the easy answer is me, but Abe has that whole smart thing going on, which I think really tips the scales in his favor."

She's shorter than the counter, so her brother lifts her up to sit on the edge, he himself leaning against it.

"Oh, but pretty Miss Reynolds, you have a streak of mischief which has no equal. Are you two here to pick up _Serenity_'s post?"

The girl grins beautifully at him. "Yup yup. Did I get anything shiny, Amnon?"

"Well, there are several packages addressed to Miss Serra Reynolds. And about as many for Mr. Abram Reynolds. Do we have some recent birthdays?"

"I turned fifteen a month ago," Abram answers, signing for the crew. "Mei-Mei turned ten last week."

"Well, happy birthday to you both. Are you going to be able to carry all of these boxes?"

"Brought something to carry them in," Abe nods, holding up the box he carries in one hand. "Load 'em up, Amnon."

The postmaster sets the packages and letters for all of _Serenity_'s crew in the box and passes it back to the children he's watched grow from infancy.

"How's your father? Your pretty mama?"

"They're in a good spell, haven't had to buy Mama a new tea pot in what? A month?"

"You're right, Mei-Mei, it has been a month. Now I'm worried…"

Amnon laughs. "Troubles, be careful out there, you're now in the possession of government post. Can I trust you to deliver it safely?"

"Not a problem, Amnon. Alright, let's go, Bubba. You can buy me an ice planet."

Abram lifts Serra down from the counter, then hefts the box of post onto his shoulder and nods to Amnon.

"Anything else you need to pick up, Runt?"

"Nah," the girl shakes her head, glancing up at her brother. He towers over her now: he's hit a huge growth spurt, almost as tall as Daddy, and she is still short for her age. His limbs are long, his shoulders broad, and his voice dropped, but his smile remains charming and boyish. "Just an ice planet. You?"

"I'm fine. I sent my list with Kacey. He and Lolly are on grocery duty."

"Abe!" a voice behind them calls. They turn to see Uncle Wash and Aunt Kaylee pushing a cart full of parts and approaching them. "Is that our post?"

"Sure is, Uncle Wash. Most of it's for us, though. Birthday stuff," Mei-Mei grins.

"But there's some post for the rest of you," Abe assures them.

"Didya get good stuff?" the little one asks, glancing into the high-sided cart.

"Just the usual replacements," Kaylee grins, ruffling Serra's wild curls. "Dump that box in 'ere and walk back with us."

"Still have to make our ice planet run," Abe says, dropping the box into the cart. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Alright. Be quick, and be careful, you two. I don't want pieces of you coming back, only whole people."

"Okay, Uncle Wash!" Serra calls, giggling and skipping off with Abram in tow.

"_Hers_ is an evil laugh," Wash comments to Kaylee as they push the cart back towards _Serenity_.

* * *

Abe will later recall that they were only three steps from the ice planet stand when the burly hand grabs Mei-Mei roughly by the arm and tugs her behind the nearby produce stand. Abe's hand drops to the knife at his hip, but a blow to the back of the head blacks him out before he can even grab it. His last, sick thought is that his baby sister's not screaming.

* * *

Captain Malcolm Reynolds is having a good day. He's unloaded cargo and gotten paid. With said money, he can put food for thirteen on the table, keep thirteen bodies clothed and healthy, and have a little left over to buy his wife some of the tea she likes so much. That always makes her a mite happier. In fact, his day just gets better when Inara and Ally meet up with him and Zoe after the drop, the tutor and first-mate heading off to find Lolly and Kacey to assist in carrying groceries. This leaves Mal the rest of the morning to take a nice, leisurely stroll through the market with his beautiful wife. Yep, a day doesn't get much better than this, and he's looking forward to lunch on _Serenity_, watching Abram and Serra open the plethora of presents that Amnon probably had waiting for them.

He steps onto the ramp of his ship and, since he's in such a good mood, hollers, "Where are my hell-raising children?"

"Really, Mal, you dote on them too much," Inara comments beside him with a patented eye roll.

The only sound they're met with is a stifled sob. Mal looks up sharply to see a destroyed Kaylee standing on the catwalk.

"Lil' Kaylee, what's wrong?"

Inara has already hiked up her skirt and run up the stairs to her best friend's side, trying to console her. "Kaylee, what happened?"

Kaylee just cries harder.

"Abe and Mei-Mei are gone," Lolly says, hollowly, from the other end of the catwalk. "Everyone's been looking. They were supposed to be back two hours ago."

"_Aiya!_ I told those two not to wander off… The trouble they get into…"

"No, Uncle Mal, they're _really_ gone. Jayne and Aunt Zoe are still out looking, but we spent an hour scouring the entire market. They know not to leave."

Mal looks up sharply at the sixteen-year-old, dread pooling like liquid metal in his gut. He doesn't even need to look at Inara to know her eyes are wide and scared. "What's the Albatross got to say about all of this?"

"She's been babbling ever since they were due back. She hasn't been this bad since I was little."

"Gone," a voice whispers from the doorway. "Couldn't see it… Not, not until they were already gone. Couldn't get to them…"

"River," Inara breathes, voice shaking, "Where did they go?"

"Not where. Who." River raises her eyes to meet the captain's. "I'm sorry, Captain Daddy… I should have saved Brother and Sister from him."

"From who, River?" Mal demands, his world spinning out of control. Leaving Lolly to comfort her mother, Inara stands and grabs Mal's arm, squeezing until it hurts. The pain brings him back to now, and he puts an arm around his wife.

River's brown eyes are wide and full of tears. "Niska."

* * *

"Abram… Wake up, Abram… Little boys shouldn't spend all day sleeping…"

The voice he awakens to his raspy and heavily laced with an accent he doesn't recognize. His head is pounding, and there's sick fear pooling coldly in his stomach.

"Mei-Mei," he groans. His mouth feels funny. His eyes open slowly. He's startled by two blue, wire-rimmed eyes pressed close to his face.

"Good morning, Master Reynolds. Did you have a good sleep?"

Abe's suddenly aware that he's not laying down, but is instead strapped vertically, leather straps straining against his formerly unconscious weight.

"Who?... Serra?"

"Your little sister is doing well, Abram. Having her own little party…"

"Let me see her," Abe croaks.

"Ah-ah… Not right now. We still haven't been properly introduced. You see, I know who you are, but you don't know who I am. So allow me to introduce myself. I, am Adelai Niska. And you, are a very lucky, lucky boy. Not many your age get to meet their true selves."

Abe's stomach starts to rebel at the name, remembering the stories only Jayne and Aunt Zoe will tell.

"Now, Abram, your father and I have an old debt to settle. And I am an old man, so he is running out of time to pay it. Tell me, do you believe that the sins of the father are visited upon the son?"

Abe says nothing, eyes widening.

"What about the daughter?"

This time, Abe's lunch comes sputtering back up. Spitting, he says, "If there's so much as a mark on her, my father will kill you. Slowly."

"But what about you, Abram? Will he come as quickly when he hears the screams of his firstborn?"

"They'll all come. They've come before, and they'll do it again. They beat you."

"For a time, perhaps. But right now, I hold all the cards."

Niska steps away, leaning heavily on a cane.

"You had _Serenity_ in sight. Why just take us?"

"There's more torture than physical, Abram. Damek, is the machine ready?"

* * *

Inara's nauseating wail after River's revelation will remain with Malcolm Reynolds for the rest of his life. She's hysterical, the most uncontrolled he's ever seen her, and it only adds to his fear. This is worse than the countless broken bones and head injuries little Serra and her brother have earned bouncing and tripping around _Serenity_. This is even worse than the bullet to the shoulder Abram took last year, stepping between the shooter and his mother. For all of those, the injured children were right in front of them. Simon was there to fix them in an instant, assessing damage, planning treatment. Mal and Inara could hold them, or at least their hands, watch them pull through it and comfort them. In this, they are powerless, have no idea where the children are or what that sick freak is doing to them.

At some point in this blur of rage and terror, Simon gives Inara a smoother before she can make herself sick. He looks to Mal, who picks her up and carries her to their shuttle, laying her in their bed. He retrieves Lolly and Kaylee and puts them on watch over Inara, feeling a pang of guilt that the teenage girl must care for both older women. He doesn't have time for that, however. River's curled in small ball on the catwalk, no longer speaking. Simon is trying to get through to her, but is shooed away by Ally Caramia, who lays a gentle hand on River's shoulder and starts whispering in her ear.

"Get her a star chart," Ally says suddenly. "She'll point out where they are."

"Let's take this to the mess," level-headed Simon says, then looks to Kacey. The teenager nods and gathers his Aunt River into his arms, taking her to the dining room, where Wash meets them. The pilot startles a little at seeing the captain and his vacant eyes.

"I- Kaylee and I… we'd just seen them, grabbed the post from them. They said they were headed for ice planets and would join us in a few minutes… Mal, I…"

Mal takes a deep breath, willing himself not to snap on Wash. This is no one's fault but Niska's, he has to keep telling himself.

"Get us a star chart, Wash," Mal orders, though not harshly. "And call Jayne and Zoe back to the boat. If Niska has them, they're long gone."

"Niska! _Ai ya, tianna_." Wash hurries to do as he's told.

* * *

Apparently even evil madmen need to eat, for the electrocution stops briefly and both Niska and his crony Damek exit the room. Abe barely notices, virtually unconscious and detached from his own body.

He wonders how he'll ever get back in.

Some sort of guard or henchman comes in and takes Abe off of the apparatus, half carrying him to some windowless cell and tossing him in with a plate of food and some water.

Abe is immediately suspicious of the food until the man says, "Mr. Niska wishes you to regain your strength so that you may continue tomorrow."

Abe eats the food, knowing he needs strength to get him and his sister out of here, and falls into a restless sleep. He dreams about Serra, and Mama, and home.

Niska wakes him in the morning, Damek dragging him back into the original room. It's not electrocution this time: it's a knife, slicing patterns on his flesh. He doesn't know if he screams, for his mind immediately detaches again, floating off to earlier, better times.

"_Bubba, what are you doing?"_

"_Talking to Mei-Mei," his almost-five-year-old self answers his mother_. He has no visual memory of this, just the touch, his small body splayed across his mother's legs on the couch, his face pressed into her rounded stomach as he recounts his day to the life growing inside. He feels warm, safe, protected. His mother's hand is scruffing his hair; his chubby lips are tickling her tummy as he mumbles stories and endearments.

"_Bubba, what are you doing?"_

"_Talking to Mei-Mei."_

Instead of his mother's soft, warm legs, this time, he feels the cold, hard metal of _Serenity'_s floor pressing into his belly through his soft cotton shirt, one hand thrust through the wooden bars of the crib, stroking the newborn's back. Her eyes are shut tight, her lips open as she breathes, her back rising and falling. He moves his hand gently to her sparse dark curls. He's once again relating his day to her. He fell in love with his baby sister at first mention and has spent the last ten years protecting her. Until now.

"Abram… Abram, you have to stay awake or you'll take away all of my little fun."

Abe forces his eyes open.

"Say hello to the camera, Abram."

Abe looks up. He knows he screams this time when tip of the knife drags from shoulder to shoulder, just breaking the flesh.

* * *

They've been up all night, trying to work out a plan. They coax the location out of River slowly, between Ally's gentle words and Simon's sweet touch. Kaylee, Lolly, and Inara are still in the shuttle, but everyone else nurses coffee around the dining table.

The Washburns take up the far end of the table, Zoe flanked by her men, working out the quickest way to get to Salisbury, where Niska's space station is in orbit. Simon is trying to get as much information as he can from River as gently as possible. All he's been able to get is that they're not dead. Not yet. Jayne is silent, for once: angry, fuming even. Ally sits in Inara's usual seat beside Mal, looking hollow and lost now that she has no purpose. He knows she's being strong just staying here, not breaking down like Inara and Kaylee. Alistair Caramia is the third parent to every child on _Serenity_. She spends her days at their sides, teaching them, raising them. They tell her things they would never dream of telling their parents. He forgets, sometimes, that she's only thirteen years older than Kacey, that she was barely more than a child herself when he took her aboard to help raise his children.

"You've done it once before. With fewer of you," she says softly, setting a hand on his arm, breaking Mal from the aching haze he's fallen into.

"He's expectin' us this time. He wants me to come."

Wash stands up suddenly. "We've got it. We'll be there in a day."

"A day? They could be dead in a day!"

"The ship can't go faster, Mal, or she'll blow up!" Wash shouts back, the nerves getting the best of everyone.

"_Bi zui_," Ally says calmly, "Everyone take a deep breath. Save the rage for the rescue."

"Ally's right," Zoe says, "Wash, get on up there and set us our course."

"This ain't gonna be a simple smash and grab. Jayne, you'll need your grenades; we're occupyin' the gorramn place," Mal says quietly as Wash slips up to the cockpit. "Everyone's comin' along. 'Cept the ladies in the shuttle, and Kacey."

"Uncle Mal…" Kacey begins to protest.

"_Bi zui_, little Washburn. This ain't a crack at your gun-slinging abilities, 'cause I know they're a mite better than the doc's, but I need a doctor with me and at least one of my pilots on _Serenity_. Think you can handle a quick getaway?"

Kacey nods solemnly, all protest gone. He'll be eighteen within the year, already looks like and is starting to act like a man.

"'Sides," Mal says, "You may need those gun-slinging skills protecting my ship, _dong ma_? I need Kaylee in the engine room while we're gone, Lolly helpin' her out and helpin' with the defense of the ship. Ally, you comfortable with all this, or you thinkin' you'd rather stay behind?"

"I can handle a gun, Captain," she says, though her voice is a bit shaky. He knows that and says as much: he's trusted her and her acceptable gun skills to protect his children on many occasions. Still, he worries about her reaction to whatever awaits them and has qualms about taking her for the same reasons he refuses to take Inara.

"It won't be pretty, Teach."

"I'm not expecting it to be." Her eyes say she's set on coming, and Mal needs all the guns he can get.

"Still gonna know we're comin', sir," Zoe says, meeting her captain's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm still thinkin' on that."

"Mal," Wash's voice crackles in over the comm. "Mal, you better get up here now. We've got a wave coming in from Salisbury."

Mal hops up and runs to the bridge, not caring or even noticing that the crew's following him.

It's a pre-recorded message. Niska's face takes up the greater part of the frame, face lined even heavier with age, but Abram is visible in the background, bleeding and barely conscious. Mal's hand tightens on the back of Wash's chair, and Ally gives a little gasp. Jayne lets loose a string of Mandarin vulgarity. "Mister Reynolds… It seems I have something of yours… Tell me, Mister Reynolds, do you believe the sins of a father are visited upon the son?"

The camera pulls in tighter on Abram, and Niska says, "Abram… Abram, you have to stay awake or you'll take away all of my little fun."  
Abe's eyes come open slowly, glassy with pain.  
"Say hello to the camera, Abram."  
The boy gives no response, and Niska's crony pulls the knife across Abram's chest. The screams are enough to send the contents of Mal's stomach back up.  
"Serra," the boy moans, "Where's Serra?"  
"Hush, Abram, your sister is off having her own fun." The frame returns to Niska. There's a vein popping out at Mal's temple. "And if not the son, Mister Reynolds, what about the daughter?"  
The screen shuts off. Mal kicks a crate of spare parts laying beside Wash's chair down the stairs, narrowly missing the crowd gathered around him. He goes off in Mandarin until he collapses in the co-pilot's chair, tears in his eyes and on his face.  
"We should all be getting some sleep," Zoe says then, gently. "Be at Salisbury in 23 hours, gonna want to be well-rested."  
Her words clear the bridge, even Wash and Kacey retreating.  
"Sir, we'll get them," Zoe says, standing across from him. "Ain't no power in the 'verse…"  
"We'll get 'em," Mal interrupts, brokenly, "But what kind of state they gonna be in, Zoe? Abe's barely 'live now, what will 23 hours do to him? And we don't even know what they're doing to my baby girl…"  
"Can't rightly say, sir, but we'll get 'em out, and Doc'll fix 'em up, and we'll go from there."  
Mal is silent, fuming, sick to his stomach with rage and disgust, envisioning the thousand cruelties his children must be going through.  
"Never should've left him alive."  
"Go be with your wife, sir."


	2. Part 2

Title: Hell Raising

Rating: PG-13 for mild torture and violence

Pairings: heavy on the M/I, by the nature of the 'verse, references to S/K, Z/W, Jayne/Vera

Setting: 18ish years post-BDM

Summary: "I just wish you would've killed the old bastard." – Inara, War Stories. Eighteen years later, so does Mal. Set in the same 'verse as Pirate Children, but three years later.

Author's Note: Here's the second and final part of this little story. There will be more in the 'verse, so stay tuned.

Part 2

Mal slowly makes his way back to their shuttle, relieving Lolly and a fairly calm Kaylee from their duties and sending them to bed with the bare outlines of the plan. That's all he has so far. The crew is going to meet in eight hours for further discussion.

Inara's still asleep, so Mal removes his boots quietly, tucking them aside so no one will trip, and climbs gently in beside her. Nausea settles heavily in his stomach, tears stinging his eyes again. He puts an arm around his wife, burying his face in her hair, trying hard not to think about how similar it is to little Mei-Mei's.

He half-sleeps, dreaming of his children's bodies, and wakes instantly when Inara stirs beside him three hours later.

"Mal?" she questions, shifting onto her back.

He meets her eyes in response, and they immediately fill with fear at the hollow look she finds.

"Mal, tell me it was dream…"

"Ain't much for lyin' to ya, darlin'," he says as gently as possible, one hand tucking a curl behind her ear.

She feels nauseous, a kind of fear she's never experienced before, worse than the multiple times she's seen Mal's life in the balance. At least then, she'd seen it.

"We know where they are; we're headed there now. Gonna mount a rescue, kill the _hun dan_, and get them back to you. But you're stayin' on the ship, _dong ma_? Can help Lolly and Kacey with the defendin', but I don't want you near that place. You ain't gonna like where we find them, how we find them. I ain't gonna like it, neither, but seein' as you're their mama, I 'spect it'll be worse."

She closes her eyes, those deep brown eyes both of their children share, and recalls every bit of her Companion control just to keep herself from dissolving again.

"We're still 'bout twenty hours out. River says they're both alive, but besides that she's too far gone to help much. Bringin' her along, though. Woman's bound to be helpful."

Inara settles her head onto Mal's chest, knowing she won't sleep. She remembers the way Mei-Mei rushes in on mornings when she doesn't have class, pestering her daddy to _do something_ with her since the other children are sleeping the day away in their teenaged fashion. She remembers the way Abe spends afternoons hiding in the shuttle, the only quiet place he can read a book without interruption or distraction. Often times, they read together, mother and son, while Mal and Mei-Mei traipse around _Serenity_ doing "captainy" things. The memories pour over her and sink into her stomach. The shuttle's too full of memories, but there's nowhere on the ship that's not, nowhere her children haven't done something memorable to tie them to it forever in her mind.

"I'm sorry," Mal says hoarsely.

She shifts to meet his eyes. There's a question in her gaze.

"Weren't for me, my past dealings with Niska, they…"

"Stop it," she orders, halting his self-pity, "I thought we got over the whole 'you deserve better', self-loathing routine after Abe was born. You've done nothing wrong in this, and I won't just let you fall back into yourself."

There's fire in her eyes again; he's made her angry, as he's known to, but at least now she's back to herself, not the shell who collapsed on the catwalk.

"I just wanna go faster," Mal says, breaking eye contact and laying back on his pillow. He gathers her in his arms, his last lifeline, and tries to close his eyes again. "Should try an' get some sleep. Still pretty far out."

They try sleeping, but the silence only gets louder.

"They're not going to be the same," Inara whispers, voice thick, "They'll never be the same children who walked off this ship."

Mal swallows the emotion at that, tries to lighten the mood a tiny bit. "No, reckon they won't. Though, there weren't any walkin' off of this boat. Mei-Mei don't walk anywhere: she bounces."

"Mal, I'm serious. We failed them. We should have walked off this ship the moment we found out about Abe." She pushes herself up, sitting straight backed against the headboard.

Anger is easier, pushes the terror aside, puts the pain to use. The fighting, it's familiar, it's normal.

"Hey now, we've had this conversation; it's just as dangerous on the ground, at least anywhere we'd live." Mal's meeting her anger blow for blow, voice raising tightly. The anger pushes away his self-doubt, gives him something else to focus on. "Tams might not be wanted anymore, but I've wracked up my fair share of felonies, whole crew has. Best not to stay in one place too long; bad things happen when I'm on the ground. The Black's our territory, out here we know how to protect what's ours."

"We're obviously not doing a very good job of it."  
The words sting with truth.

"Niska'd only've found us sooner if we were planet-side." At least, that's what he has to convince himself. "Moving around all the time makes us harder to track. And there's Reavers and crooks aplenty on the Rim planets, just like the Black. Except on the ground, there's no where to run."

"But don't Abe and Mei-Mei deserve some semblance of normalcy?"

"They're plenty normal!" Mal objects. "Got a better education than I ever had, extended family, food on the table. They're happy."

"They're not here!" The words are piercing. Mal looks a little hurt, but immediately hardens again as Inara continues, "They know more about guns than any children have a right to…"

"That'd be the same growin' up on a ranch," Mal interjects.

"Serra's ten, Mal, and she already knows how to pick pockets. Thank you for that by the way." Sarcasm dripping, remembering big brown eyes twinkling mischievously, a stranger's wallet in hand.

"I sure as _guay_ didn't teach her that!" Mal objects, surprised to hear it.

"No, she just learned petty thieving by example."

Mal's voice lowers. "That's not called for."

His eyes are hard, icy. She reads the message in them: _You're dancing dangerously close to the line we drew, darlin'._ She's too upset to care, but doesn't repeat the word, only holding his gaze, steely.

"If any of my crime's _petty_, it's only 'cause it's fairly hard to pull the big stuff with a boatload of young 'uns. More'n half our work is legit these days, and as such, it's a mite harder to keep thirteen mouths fed. But I do it."

"_We_ do it, Mal. All of us. The crew. We keep each other safe. But not this time. We failed."

She turns away from him, the pain and terror returning, seizing her. She hears him let out a sigh.

"We should get some sleep."

She doesn't respond.

She dreams of Mei-Mei's tears.

* * *

Mal wakes an hour before the crew is supposed to meet. He gently slips from the bed, careful not to wake Inara, still feeling a little guilty and a little angry. From the tracks on her face, it looks like she's cried in her sleep. He's just glad she's sleeping some on her own. He changes into a fresh shirt and then walks quietly down to the dining room, surprised to find Kaylee poring furiously over some schematics, hair twisted out of her face.

"Hey, Lil' Kaylee," he says groggily. Even though she is a grown woman and has a sixteen-year-old daughter, the nickname has stuck. He heads immediately to the coffee; what sleep he got was restless and did little to calm him.

"Hey, Cap'n," she replies, excitement entering her voice. "I think I figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Mal asks, slumping in the seat across from her.

"How ta get into the space station."

"You ain't. You're stayin' here and keepin' the engines hot."

"I mean for y'all. I think I can rig _Serenity_'s nav sats to broadcast a high burst of energy right when they see us comin'. Knock all their power out for 't least half an hour."

Mal thinks this over for a minute, inhaling the coffee and wrapping his mind around her words. He breaks out into a half smile, leaning across the table and bringing her head to his lips. "I knew I was payin' you for somethin'. Awright. Let's go over this nice and slow, Captain Dummy talk, _dong ma_?"

* * *

"Revised plan," Mal announces, starting to feel a tiny bit giddy now that there's a somewhat decent plan involved. "And it's Kaylee's, so should work well."

Everyone's gathered around the table in their pajamas; even Inara's regained her control and sits at his left. She's talking quietly with Ally while everyone trickles in, giving the younger woman's shoulder a little squeeze before everyone quiets down.

"So what is this new plan?" Wash asks.

"Not new. Same people goin' in, same people stayin' out. Kaylee an' I've just fleshed the plan out a bit. We're gonna knock out the power, force a temporary seal, and then go in. Once we get closer, we're hopin' River'll be able to give us a general idea of where they're bein' held. Jayne, you'll take Ally and get Serra. Zoe an' Wash'll go to the main control room, occupy the place, keep the power off as long as possible. Albatross, Doc, you're with me."

No one mentions _why_ the doctor's going with Mal. Nor do they mention the wave, since no one's told Inara about it yet.

"As Ally said earlier, we've done this before, with less people… Still, more at stake this time, so everybody make sure they get some rest. ETA's fifteen hours."

The group disperses, some returning to their bunks, others moving to the common area.

Mal pulls Jayne aside in the kitchen, voice low. "Jayne, I'm trustin' you with my baby girl. You go in, watch the teacher's back, and grab Mei-Mei. Then you get the _guay_ out of there. We got an understandin'? You get her back to her mama."

"I got it, Mal. Ain't gonna let nuttin' more happen to the Mei-Mei." The man is uncharacteristically serious, meeting the captain's eyes.

"An' Jayne, if anybody… touched… her, you have Ally cover Serra's eyes and ears and you kill 'im real slow."

Jayne swallows hard. "Wit' pleasure."

Mal nods and leaves Jayne to get more coffee, feeling Inara's eyes on him. He pulls her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. It's as much for his comfort as his. The dining area has cleared out, leaving just the two of them.

"I'm gonna get 'em back to you, 'Nara. I promise you that. And then I'm gonna kill the old bastard like I should've back then," he whispers, forehead pressed to hers, eyes closed with emotion.

"I know," she whispers back, slipping her fingers into his hair and holding him close.

* * *

Mal checks his guns again, taking a deep breath and meeting Zoe's eyes. His first mate and oldest friend nods in return, which makes him feel better.

"Gonna go make sure that son of yours knows what's up," he says, pushing away from the kitchen table.

"I'll go square things away with Kaylee and Leila Lee."

Mal climbs up to the bridge where Wash and Kacey are working on a few last minute details, Wash in River's usual seat.

"What's our ETA?"

"Eleven minutes, Captain. Aunt Kaylee's gonna send the burst at four."

"Can you pilot us in, Kacey?"

"Yes, sir," he says, meeting his uncle's eyes with all seriousness. Mal nods in approval.

"You ready, Wash?"

Wash inclines his head. "I'm gonna go help Kaylee with the black out, then I'll meet you in the bay."

He claps his son's shoulder for a moment, squeezing. "Do me proud, Killian."

When Wash is gone, Mal slips a gun into Kacey's hand. "After we dock, get down to the cargo bay, help Kaylee, Lolly, and Inara hold the ship. When one of us gets back, you get your _pi gu_ up to the cockpit and send Kaylee to the engine room, _dong ma_?"

"Yes, sir."

"Look, your Aunt 'Nara, you know she can hold her own in a fight, but right now…"

"I'll keep an eye on her, Uncle Mal. All of them."

"And as soon as the last of us are on, we'll give you two the signal, and you get the hell out of here."

"Yes, sir."

Mal meets the boy's bright blue eyes. "You're a good man, little Washburn."

"Thanks, Uncle Mal," Kacey responds, proud and strong, his father's smile on his face.

* * *

They've moved him onto a metal table with metal bindings, apparently to enhance the electrocution effect. His throat is raw from screaming, every inch of his body throbbing with pain unlike any he's ever known, but all he think of is his sister and what sick things they must be doing to her. It's worse than the physical torture.

Midway through the umpteenth electrical shock, the power cuts in the room, the electricity stopping and his electromagnetic bindings loosening.

"Damek, go see what's going on."

The burly man leaves to figure out why the lights are off, and Abram, through his half-conscious haze, remembers that the knife previously used to mark his flesh sits next to his head, tormenting with the smell of his own blood. He fully returns to consciousness, quietly tugging his limbs from the limp bonds, biting his lip nearly through in order to suppress the agony with every movement. He remembers that he's alone with Niska and lets out a groan to remind the old man how incapacitated he is.

This draws the desired response from Niska, a taunt that gives away his location in the dark, and Abe slips the knife between his fingers, feeling hot tears sliding down his cheeks, the salt water dripping onto the abused flesh of his chest. The knife is freezing, sticky, coated in his dried blood, rebelling against the heated, over-sensitive skin of his palm. Niska keeps talking, and Abe thanks Buddha for that. He then sends a horrified apology to the Buddha for what he's about to do.

"Probably your father failing at rescuing you." There's screaming down the hall. "That's your family dying, I'm su…"

The old gangster doesn't get to finish his sentence as Abe plunges the knife into his chest. Niska lets out a strangled cry as they fall tangled onto the floor. Still blinded by the darkness and now sticky in the old man's blood, Abe feels for the throat with his left hand, lining the knife up above his fingers and slicing, combining instincts and the lessons Aunt Zoe, Jayne, and his father snuck behind his mother's back. He turns his face to avoid the arterial spray and rolls off of the bony man's body, the cane pressed painfully into his side, the knife slipping from his fingers. He tries to lift himself up, to go find Mei-Mei, but his arms have given out. The smell of warm blood fills his nostrils and if he had anything left in his stomach it would've spilled. Instead it's just a dry retch.

The gunshots continue, as well as hurried footsteps that sound like running.

The door opens, and Abe suddenly knows he's dead, that Damek has come back and will crush him quickly. But the form silhouetted in the flashlight is small and familiar.

"Brother, Captain Daddy and I have come to take you home." Aunt River calls behind her, "It's clear."

She doesn't seem horrified at the state she finds him in, just resigned. Abe's not surprised. While Simon and Mal rush in to Abe's side, she kneels above his head, brown eyes meeting brown eyes, saying everything, as she whispers, "I'm sorry, Brother."

"Mei-Mei," he whispers, "Where's Mei-Mei?"

"Jayne's gettin' her, Bubba, don't you worry," Mal says, voice rough with emotion. "You did good, Abram. You did good. We got you."

The comm on Mal's hip beeps, and he brings it to his mouth. "Yeah?"

"We're back on the ship, Mal," Jayne's voice crackles over the comm. "We got her."

"How… how is she?"

"Not a scratch," Jayne says, sounding puzzled. "Just sittin' there, lookin' none too pleased while an old wrinkly lady poured her tea… In the only cup that weren't all in pieces. I swear, Mal, yer girly tore that place up somethin' fierce. How're you?"

"Alive," is all Mal says as River and Simon roll his bloodstained son gently onto the stretcher they brought. "Get little Washburn in the cockpit and Kaylee in the engine room. Call Zoe and Wash back. I want us disconnected as soon as we get aboard." He shuts off the comm and turns to Simon. "What's the word, doc?"

"Multiple cuts, abrasions, heavy exposure to unsafe levels of electricity, exhaustion. Nothing life-threatening as long as we get him back into the infirmary soon."

"Both his ears still there?"

"All features intact," Simon nods, reassuringly, pale face strangely illuminated in the light. River has calmed down now, has been calm ever since they set foot on the Sky Plex, and leads the way, gun in hand. Mal grabs the end of the stretcher by Abe's head, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder from his earlier bullet graze.

"We're goin' home, Bubba," Mal tells the groaning boy. "Stay with us, _dong ma_? When we get back, you can join the Niska club with me an' Uncle Wash; we'll trade stories."

Abe's eyes are growing foggy, but Mal keeps talking to him all the way back to _Serenity_, River taking out any stragglers.

* * *

Inara is waiting when Jayne and Ally return, immediately sinking to the floor in relief as Jayne lays the unharmed child in her arms.

"Talked to Mal. Grabbed Bubba and they're on the way back."

"Mama," Mei-Mei sobs over the occasional gunshots from the attacks on _Serenity._ They're behind cover, and Inara cradles the little one against her chest, the hot tears of mother and daughter mixing. Wash and Zoe fight their way back onto _Serenity_, and Kacey and Kaylee have already begun to start the ship up.

Zoe and Wash provide cover fire for the return of Mal and the Tam siblings, Jayne standing watch over Mei-Mei, Lolly, Ally, and Inara.

"Are you hurt, Mei-Mei?" Inara manages to ask, looking her over for bruising. "Did they touch you?"

"No, Mama," Mei-Mei cries, burying her head into Inara's shoulder. "She was gonna keep me, make me her little girl, but I…"

Her mama shushes her, calms her down a little, and then the rest of the crew stumbles aboard, lying the stretcher on the cargo bay floor as Zoe punches the comm.

"Go, Kace!"

_Serenity_ breaks seal and flies away.

At the sight of Abe, Serra freaks, calling for him frantically and struggling to run to him. Inara pushes Mei-Mei into Jayne's arms as she rushes to Abe's side. The mercenary holds the ten-year-old's sobbing body tight against him as she struggles and screams for her brother.

The mother feels sick as she sees him there and drops to her knees beside him, hands first brushing across his brow and then reaching for his hands.

"Mama," Abe groans. His eyes widen in horror as she reaches for his hands. He rolls away from her as much as he can. "No… Dad… Daddy! I don't want it touching her. Please…"

Inara is horrified and as Mal touches her shoulder, withdraws her hands, glancing down at her son's. They're soaked with blood.

"It's Niska's," Mal croaks.

"What?" Inara ask sharply, snapping her eyes to her husband's, then noticing the fresh blood all over her son.

"I killed 'im, Mama," Abe says miserably, closing his eyes. "I _killed_ him."

"How did this happen?" she practically hisses at Mal.

"I wasn't there. He'd killed him already. Took advantage of the power outage, killed the man who tormented him. Found him half-passed out in Niska's blood."

Inara's hand flies to her mouth, sure she's going to be sick.

"Mei-Mei…" Abe moans, "Where's Serra?"

"We got her, Bubba, don' you worry," Mal assures the boy, trying to sound calm.

"Bubba!" Mei-Mei continues to sob behind them, Jayne's firm grip keeping her from running to him.

"How, how is she?" Abram cracks his eyes open.

"Shiny as a shiny thing. Not a mark on her. They found 'er at a tea party of all things."

"They told me you 'ere dead, Bubba…" Mei-Mei hiccups.

"Don't let 'er see me," Abe pleads, meeting his father's eyes. "Take her and Mama away 'til Uncle Simon fixes me. Please…"

"Which is right now," Simon finally interrupts, wanting to get Abram into the infirmary quickly. He looks to the pilot who's just run down the stairs and stands frozen at the sight of his best friend. "Kacey? Zoe?"

The two Washburns nod and pick up the stretcher, Mal holding Inara back as they take him away.

"Ally, take Serra to the kitchen, get something in her belly, please," Mal says as Inara sobs into his shirt.

Ally motions to Jayne to follow her up the stairs, Mei-Mei still crying into the big man's shoulder. The rest of the crew trails them, silently, leaving Mal and Inara in the cargo bay.

"He's just a baby, Mal."

Mal blinks his own tears away, holding her tight against him. "Not anymore. It's not right, but he's not a kid any more."

"You should've…"

"I know. _Wo de ma_, I wanted to."

"We should go be with him."

Mal pushes her away gently, meeting her eyes. "You heard him: he doesn't want you there. He doesn't want this to touch you anymore than it already has."

"I don't care what he wants," Inara cries, pulling away from him. "He's my son; I'm his mother. I should be with him."

"No," Mal stands firm, remembering the look in his son's eyes at the sight of his mother. "'Nara, don't make this harder for him. I'm not gonna be there neither. He wants just Simon an' Zoe fixin' him up, he gets just Simon an' Zoe."

She meet his eyes, and he knows she's trying to be strong through this, through their baby boy's abrupt transformation into a man, and he loves her for it. He cups her cheek, tears in his eyes.

"Mei-Mei needs us now. Abe'll need us later."

Inara raises a hand to his on her cheek, entwines their fingers. "I love you."

"_Renci de Fozu_, I do love you, woman."

* * *

"Your ma and sis are wantin' to see you," Mal says, sitting on the stool by his son's bed in the infirmary. The doc has sewn him up well; there will be very little scarring, save a faint line from shoulder to shoulder and two angry red circles where the electrodes were attached.

"I don't want to see them," Abram says, refusing to meet his father's eyes.

"Oh, hell no. See, I stuck up for you to your mama when you wanted them away while you were gettin' fixed. You damn near broke her heart, so you don't get to play moody teenager. You ain't really one of those anymore."

"I killed him."

"I know. 'Twas right. Not right you bein' the one to kill him, but him being killed, that was right. You did the right thing."

Abe shakes his head. "These hands have killed; they don't deserve to touch her."

Mal tries not to roll his eyes at the dramatics. "We talkin' on your sis or your ma here?"

"Both."

"Well, if that were really the criteria, neither you nor your sister would be here, 'cause I've killed plenty and with less justification than what you did. And I don't think any man's ever really worthy of touchin' either of 'em. Don't tell your ma I said that, huh? She don't like when I talk that way. Truth is, all three of you are better people right here." He touches his son's heart gently. "Than I'll ever be. No 'mount of killing is going to change that, Abe."

There are tears in Abe's eyes but he fights them down.

"Your mama's taken her share of life, Bubba, a lot of it to keep you safe. Mei-Mei's time'll come. I ain't happy about any of that, and I'd save you all from it if I could. You're a man now, Abram, and with that comes the responsibility of protectin' our girls as best we can, but knowing they're perfectly capable of takin' care of themselves if the occasion calls for it. Or even protectin' us. Hell, Abe, few years time and your sis'll be able to whip us all with any weapon you can think of, includin' her bare hands. She's made of tougher stuff than any of us."

"'Cept Aunt River."

"'Cept Aunt River," Mal echoes, ghost of a smile on his face, "You ready to see our girls?"

Abe takes a deep breath. "Send Serra in first."

Mal nods and goes to retrieve his daughter.

"Alright, daughter-mine, your Bubba's lookin' a little rough, but he's gonna be shiny. No teasin', _dong ma_?"

"Yep, Daddy."

"Run on in there." He looks to his wife. "He wants to see her first. You'll get your turn soon."

They watch their children reunite, Mei-Mei immediately resting her head on the bed next to Abe's, body contorted oddly.

"Strange little one," Mal grins.

They speak softly of a few minutes before Abe wincingly brings his hand up to Mei-Mei's cheek, stroking softly. Mei-Mei gets up and twirls slowly, showing him she's unharmed.

She speaks loudly now, "She tried to tell me Mama and Daddy were dead and that she was my new mommy. I laughed so hard. I was like, 'Lady, have you met my daddy? Man can't die. Believe me, Mama's tried. Have you met my mama? Well first of all, she's much prettier than you, but also, she could kick your _pi gu_ from here to the Core an' back.'"

"Mei-Mei!" Abe laughs, closing his eyes against the pain.

Mei-Mei just grins, back to herself with the resiliency of a child.

"You're gonna be nothing but trouble even when you grow up, aren't you?"

"Plannin' on it. As Daddy likes to say, 'I aim to misbehave'."

Outside, Inara sighs, "We'll both be completely gray by the time she's twenty."

"I'm on my way there," Mal grins, pulling at the gray at his temples.

Mei-Mei bounces out, saying, "Bubba wants Mama now. Daddy, do we have 'captainy' things to do?"

"I'm sure we can find something to do, baby-mine."

* * *

They are silent, just watching each other, the mother cataloguing injuries, the son thankful his mama is unharmed. She sits down beside him, and though she usually sees a lot of her father and brother in him, right now she only sees Mal, bandaged and beaten but only worried about her. She grabs his hand, and this time he doesn't flinch away, just squeezes back.

"Hi," Abe finally says, meeting her eyes.

"Hi, baby," she smiles, cupping his cheek with her free hand, thumb brushing the dark circle under his eye. "Uncle Simon did a good job."

"He's the best," Abe nods, giving her a smile in return, though like hers, it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Until you go off and become a doctor."

"Of course," Abe says. "Doesn't seem so far away anymore."

Inara takes a heavy breath. "No. No, it doesn't."

"Mama… what I did… It wouldn't exactly, sit well, with the Buddha."

Inara closes her eyes and squeezes his hand. "Nothing's black and white, Bubba. You know that. Circumstances…"

"I feel dirty," Abe confesses. "I didn't think Dad would understand… He said I did the right thing, that he's proud of me. Are you proud of me?"

"Oh, Abram," she breathes, "I will _always_ be proud of you. You did what was necessary, right or wrong. That's a part of being an adult. You're already better at it than most adults will ever be. What you did was horrible, yes, but it had to be done. It isn't _who_ you are." She meets his eyes. "You're a healer deep down, Abe. I believe that. But the life we lead… it's hard to avoid taking a life. You'll do it again."

Abe closes his eyes against that thought. "Does it get easier?"

"For some. For you? I don't know." They return to silence. "Abe, if you ever want to talk about what…"

"No," Abe interrupts. "Sorry. Maybe someday, just not with you." A pause. "_Wo ai ni_, Mama."

She presses a kiss on his hairline and returns the sentiment.

el fin


End file.
